The summer Olympic games have begun, and Black Women have been the focus of negative press and conversations. This is not a new phenomenon seeing that Black women athletes are often criticized for their performance, body size, dress, and their competitive demonstrative demeanor. Despite their successes, black women continue to be scrutinized during the Olympic games highlighting the plight of Black women in sports.

I’m preparing for an amazing sabbatical season, July 1st - August 31st! I’m taking a break to intentionally focus on rest, reflection, prayer, discerning, healing, writing and travel. Please enjoy the July series of the Harmonize Your Life Podcast with some amazing women who are sharing with us.

One of the gifts of this year was my return to the practice of yoga. There are many religions that practice yoga and use the principles found within to remain calm and live a harmonious life. As a Christian, I find these principles consistent with scripture that teaches me to reflect, think on good things and to walk in wholeness and peace (Philippians 4:8).

On the morning after Senator Kamala Harris was nominated to run on the presidential ticket with Vice-President Joe Biden, I wrote:

As I reflect upon the new normal of this global pandemic, I must honesty say my first response resistance. This pandemic was seemingly forced upon us and in my rush to gain some sense of normality, I became frustrated trying to understand what God is doing in and around me. I found myself paralyzed by fear and worry. I was disoriented by the facts that seemed to be changing every day. Being the control freak that I am, I started cleaning and reorganizing spaces in my home to gain some sense of control.

It’s July 2020 and we are 5 months into a global pandemic. We are becoming weary with wearing masks and practicing social distance. While we have found new ways to connect via Zoom meetings, webinars, conference calls and LiveStream technology, we are missing the value of human connection. We lament the cancellation of summer vacations and summer gatherings filled with good food, good music, friends and family.

As I sit here trying to make sense of this year, I cannot clear my mind of the imagery of a white police officer with his knee on the neck of a black man as he cried out, “I can’t breathe.” This image has disturbed me at a level I cannot articulate. Growing up on the Southside of Chicago, I have always been aware of police brutality and injustices that are perpetrated against black people in America. In recent years we have witnessed viral videos of white people shooting unarmed black men. We have suffered the loss of black women who have been mishandled and died due to fatal policing tactics. We’ve sat through trials praying for a justice that seems to be eluding us with each incident.

The other day, I purchased a t-shirt online that reads “May Birthday 2020, The One Where We Were Quarantined…” When I saw it, I thought, I need this t-shirt so I can memorialize this historical year and all that it means for me.
Each year I am excited about celebrating the month of May mainly because it is my birthday month and I look forward to celebrating with family and friends. May is the month we celebrate Mothers and other women who have given birth to children who carry our legacies. May is also the month where My Sister’s Keeper Foundation for Women, the organization that I founded, hosts its annual fundraiser and celebration of the women who have completed our Leadership and Life Coaching Program.

We are certainly in a place none of us imagined we would be at the beginning of this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way we are living and being in the world. While this is a season of uncertainty, there are many blessings of this season that I do not want us to miss.